Universal #413

Legacy number: 413

 Number  412
 Original  If a language is postpositional, Gender affixes on noun (if any) are suffixed.
If a language has prefixed Gender affixes, it will be prepositional.
 Standardized  IF there are postpositions, THEN nominal gender affixes (if there are any) are suffixed.
IF gender affixes are prefixed, THEN there are prepositions.
 Formula  postposition ⇒ Gender affixes on N are suffixed;
Gender affixes on N are prefixed ⇒ preposition
 Keywords  postposition, preposition, noun, gender, affix-order, suffix, prefix
 Domain  inflection, syntax
 Type  implication
 Status  achronic
 Quality  absolute
 Basis  200 languages drawn from three samples: a 113-language sample by L. Stassen, a 40-language sample by J. Bybee & R. Perkins, and a 50-language sample by G. Gilligan
 Source  Cutler, Hawkins, & Gilligan 1985: 729; Hawkins & Gilligan 1988: 223, cited in Moravcsik 1994a: 49

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Discussion
Notes
Moravcsik 1994: 49 summarized universals by Hawkins & Gilligan (here ##413, 1302, 1304, and 1307) in a more general form:In postpositional languages, nominal affixes, if any, are suffixed with considerable greater than chance frequency.
Comment
Frans Plank · 3 Aug 2006
Moravcsik 1994: 49 summarized universals by Hawkins & Gilligan (here <a class="innerLink" href="browse.php?entry_id=413"><img src="../img/entry.gif" border="0">, <a class="innerLink" href="browse.php?entry_id=1302"><img src="../img/entry.gif" border="0">, <a class="innerLink" href="browse.php?entry_id=1304"><img src="../img/entry.gif" border="0">, and <a class="innerLink" href="browse.php?entry_id=1307"><img src="../img/entry.gif" border="0">) in a more general form: In postpositional languages, nominal affixes, if any, are suffixed with considerable greater than chance frequency.